Although there are few details available about the FCC's proposed broadband plan that it will submit next week to Congress, one thing is for sure, it's not going to be cheap. According to a Wall Street Journal article, the agency's plan will propose up to $25 billion to expand broadband access, including $12 billion to $16 billion for a wireless broadband network for first responders.
Of course, the bigger question is whether or not Congress would actually act on such a big spending plan during an election year.
Andy Seybold, an analyst who is developing his own national broadband plan, thinks the FCC's proposal will fall on deaf ears. "Congress is not going to spend any time with this plan, because it won't get any of the elected officials re-elected, so they'll just get a five-minute overview from their staffs and pass over it," said Seybold in a Computerworld article.
Major incumbent service providers (AT&T and Verizon) pledged support for the FCC's plan because people that have seen the draft said it does not include a provision that requires large operators to open their networks to competitors.
For more:
- Wall Street Journal has this article
Related articles
FCC's broadband plan to carry $25B price tag
FCC wants more time to craft broadband plan
100 questions about 100 Squared
FCC sets high broadband speed bar
Republicans rail against FCC's broadband plan hired guns
FCC puts broadband for all plan on table
FCC's Levin wants more feedback for proposed broadband plan
FCC: National broadband plan fraught with challenges